


The Flavor Of You

by orphan_account



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:28:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: One year. It had been a year, Steve passed. Bucky and Sam don’t work very often anymore. Or at least, Bucky doesn’t. Turns out coming back from the dead was a lot more mentally exhausting than one might think. Bucky was provided with a pretty nice apartment in Brooklyn, but it didn’t feel much like home. Brooklyn wasn’t the same, nothing was. How could it be?Whenever Sam would stop by, it was obvious to him that Bucky was in a bad place. His apartment was always messy, he never ate, he slept all the time, he didn’t bother to decorate or make the place feel like a home. So Sam did the only thing he could think of. He set Bucky up on a date with one of his friends, Y/N.Brooklyn, a great place to start a business, a restaurant no less. She kept telling herself, but it didn’t make finding and opening a place for said restaurant any easier. All she ever wanted was to make her way in the world through the use of food. But for now, she’ll do it behind the scenes, cooking for a fancy restaurant, the pay is good, but it doesn’t make living in Brooklyn any easier. Everywhere was either too cheap to be good or too expensive to be worth it.A blind date, her first one. She was excited? Yeah, she’s excited.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> (3/27/2020 update) I am on a break from both writing and the internet for the foreseeable future, I plan to be back by May 1st. Some traumatic things have happened in my family lately and I have taken the lead in attempting to deal with it. Please bear with me for the time beginning, I will be offline for a while and will likely not be interacting with my readers for a brief period of time! Much love and happiness for you all <3

One year. It had been a year, Steve passed. Bucky and Sam don’t work very often anymore. Or at least, Bucky doesn’t. Turns out coming back from the dead was a lot more mentally exhausting than one might think. Bucky was provided with a pretty nice apartment in Brooklyn, but it didn’t feel much like home. Brooklyn wasn’t the same, nothing was. How could it be?

Whenever Sam would stop by, it was obvious to him that Bucky was in a bad place. His apartment was always messy, he never ate, he slept all the time, he didn’t bother to decorate or make the place feel like a home. So Sam did the only thing he could think of. He set Bucky up on a date with one of his friends, Y/N. 

Brooklyn, a great place to start a business, a restaurant no less. She kept telling herself, but it didn’t make finding and opening a place for said restaurant any easier. All she ever wanted was to make her way in the world through the use of food. But for now, she’ll do it behind the scenes, cooking for a fancy restaurant, the pay is good, but it doesn’t make living in Brooklyn any easier. Everywhere was either too cheap to be good or too expensive to be worth it. 

A blind date, her first one. She was excited? Yeah, she’s excited. 

Sam provided a picture, so it’s not like she didn’t know what he looked like, but that doesn’t mean he might not be a total ass. It’s not like she doesn’t trust Sam, but what would Sam know about dating men? It’s not like a straight man has good taste in men, right? 

Something made her stop worrying though. When her Y/C/E eyes met his sparkling blue ones, and he waved and smiled at her, she felt a little pulse in multiple places on her body. 

Bucky sat down, looking cleaned up, but tired. “Hi,” She reached across the table to offer her hand to him.

But to her surprise, rather than shaking her hand, he grabbed it and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, smiling up at her. 

Okay, so he’s either wonderful or a total douche...too soon to tell though. 

“It’s nice to meet you…”

“Y/N, though didn’t Sam tell you that?” 

“He did, I just wanted to hear you say it. I’m James, but everyone calls me Bucky.” 

That piqued her interest, “Oh, nickname type? Where does it come from?”

“My middle name, James Buchanan Barnes, but Bucky to make it simple.” 

She giggled, “Um well, Bucky is cute, but James is also sophisticated, you can do both,” She giggled again, and Bucky felt a bit of heat in his face and ears, he was blushing at how adorable she is. 

“Hi!” The waitress smiled as she placed the complimentary waters down, “My name is Georgia, I’ll be your server tonight, we have a large selection of wines.” She handed them each the wine menu. 

Y/N scanned over the list quickly, looking for the right wine. “The Château de Trinquevedel Tavel Rosé would be wonderful, please.”

Georgia smiled and took the menu from her, “A romantic?”

“Little bit.” 

Bucky glanced at her, a bit confused, but said nothing, “Well, here are the food menus, please take your time.” Georgia said and walked away. 

“Romantic?” Bucky questioned after the spunky girl left them. 

Y/N raised her eyebrows at him, opening her menu, “Oh, it’s considered a romantic wine, I just think it tastes good.” 

Bucky nodded, opening his menu as well, “Okay, okay...I see you.”

She laughed, “Oh do you?”

He pursed his lips, “Sure do dollface.” 

She laughed again, “Dollface...haven’t heard that one before,” Bucky said nothing as he watched her scan the menu, “Oh, the fried calamari here is super good.” She said, glancing up at him. 

“You’ve eaten here before?” 

“Um, sort of, if you count sneaking food on breaks.” 

“You work here?”

Y/N shrugged, a little flattered at his response. “Maybe, I’m a chief.” 

“Really? I’ve never been very good at cooking.”

She waved her hand at him, “Oh, it’s not hard, as long as you’re patient and paying attention, also relying on the right spices helps.” 

Bucky chuckled, “You’ll have to teach me some time,”

“Yeah…” 

They ordered their meals and got the wine, which Bucky was enjoying himself, and was thankful that when the opened the wine bottle, the pop wasn’t too loud. He was also enamored with the girl before him, they had naturally good chemistry, sense of humor, good taste in wine. 

Once their food came, Y/N checked over it before they ate, making sure it’s up to her standards. “So, how did you get into cooking?” 

“Oh, my parents mainly. My mom and dad owned a restaurant.” 

“Owned?”

“Ugh, yeah, once they got older, they sold it, and I wasn’t exactly in a place where I could take it over just yet. It’s whatever. I did love that place though, it was in a great spot and was so beautiful.” 

Bucky nodded, “Did you work in it growing up?”

“Oh you know it, what about you?”

“Huh?”

“Your childhood?” 

Bucky hesitated for a moment, “Oh, it was really good. My parents were super old fashioned, I ha-have a younger sister, Becca.” 

Y/N smiled at him, eating her food contently, “I always wanted siblings, it just never seemed to happen.” 

Bucky shrugged, “You know, it’s not that exciting.”

“Well, of course, an older brother of a little sister would say that. I’m sure she annoyed the crap out of you when you were younger.”

She had a good point, didn’t change that Bucky missed his sister so much though. He wishes he could have said something else, something more. Nothing he did would have been enough though, he knows that. But he could have tried more, that would mean something, right?

“How did you and Sam meet?”

“Um, mutual friends mainly, he dated my roommate for a while.”

“Still roommates?”

“No, she was a great friend, horrible roomie. Um, one question.”

“One answer,”

“How are your feelings about cats?”

“They’re okay, never had one of my own.”

“His name is Scout.” She smiled, pulling out her phone to show Bucky a picture of the all-black cat, “Isn’t he adorable?” 

“Aren’t black cats superstitious?” 

“Hey! Don’t say things like that, he’s a very good and lucky boy.”

Bucky put his hands up in defense but was still smiling, “Alright, Alright doll. Sorry.”

Y/N giggled again, “I like that,” 

“Like what?”

“When you call me doll, or dollface.” 

They ended the night a little too tipsy, and a little too flirtatious. When they walked out, and he got a cab for her, she hoped that he would get in with her, but instead he gave her a hug, kiss on the cheek, and a heartfelt goodbye. But they did manage to exchange information. 

When she got back to her apartment, she texted him, letting him know that she got home safely. 

Y/N: Got home safe!  
B: im just getting on the elevator to mine, still tipsy?  
Y/N: Only a little  
B: well, get some sleep, i had a lot of fun tonight  
Y/N: Huh that’s weird, me too lol  
B: i take that as a compliment  
Y/N: I’d like to have that kind of fun again if that’s okay with you  
B: thats plenty okay with me, im free a lot of the time, open hours at work  
Y/N: So we’re on my schedule? Perfect!  
B: how about we think on our next date and get to bed? It’s late  
Y/N: Alright boss man, I’ll get to bed as long as you do  
B: easy, im already falling asleep  
Y/N: Alright, goodnight then, Bucky. Sleep well  
B: Sleep well, goodnight babydoll

With that final text, they both rolled over in bed and went to sleep thinking about how that date couldn’t have gone any better. It was perfect, too perfect in fact...but they didn’t bother to dwell on that. Drifting off into sleep with each other on the front of the mine resulted in both of them having the best sleep they had in a very long time.


	2. Chapter Two

Sam took a sip of his coffee, “So did she say anything about the arm?”

Bucky shook his head, “She didn’t even seem to notice it.”

“I know you probably didn’t talk about the...you know,” Bucky nodded and rolled his eyes, “But I assume that you didn’t...lie?”

“I didn’t lie to her about anything, I just, maybe avoided some stuff.”

“And you really like her, you’re not just saying that cause she’s my friend?”

“No, I really like her. I promise.”

Y/N woke to the sound of her phone ringing obnoxiously, Scout hopping onto the bed, begging for his breakfast. She looked at her phone and seeing it was her morning alarm. Rolling her eyes, she snoozed it and rolled back over for it to go back off in 10 minutes. 

Every day is the same for her. She wakes up and showers, has a call with her mom while she gets ready, eats breakfast, and then walks to work. She was just running a little late today, as soon as she finished showering, she realized how far behind schedule she was and texted her mother telling her that they would have to talk later and she raced to give Scout his breakfast. 

“Here baby, there you go.” She pets down his back as he ate and rushed to put her shoes on. “Okay, Scout please be good, I love you.” The cat ignored her as she walked out the door. On her walk, she thought about her date the night before. About him.

Bucky. He was so sweet, even if she did want to sleep with him and he didn’t seem that into it. But, that didn’t change her attitude towards him, she wants to see him again, but maybe for something a little more fun than a fancy late-night dinner. 

They could go bowling, or a walk in the park, maybe take a ferry? Have a movie night, that would be perfect. 

“Y/N?” Christine waved her hand in front of her face, “Earth to Y/N…”

“Oh, god.” She jumped a bit, looking down at the food she was preparing, “What?”

“Where were you?”

“Nowhere,” She barked, placing the plate in the ready to go area. “I had a date last night.”

“Oh...and how did it go.”

“Good.”

“And the sex?”

“Didn’t happen.”

“What? You had a date and didn’t sleep with the guy, you must be looking for a boyfriend.” Christine is a good friend, but that doesn’t mean she can’t cop an attitude. 

Y/N just shrugged, going to the sink to wash her hands, “I don’t know, he was really, really sweet. And it was my intention to sleep with him, but by the end of the night, he hugged and kissed me goodbye-”

“Kissed?”

“On the cheek, and made sure I got home safely, he was great…”

“What are you not telling me?”

Y/N bit her lip as she glanced at her friend, “Okay, listen, I don’t know how to say this without it sounding...judgmental.”

“Just say it, dude.” 

“He had a prosthetic hand or arm...I didn’t see it all.” 

Christine stared for a moment, “How do you feel about that?”

“I don’t really care, in all honesty, but I feel like if I ask, he’ll get upset with me.”

“So you didn’t ask about it?”

“I didn’t talk about it at all, and he acted like it didn’t exist.” 

Christine shrugged, “I don’t know, a prosthetic arm doesn’t mean much, maybe he was born that way, maybe there was a traumatic accident, I just wouldn’t mention it unless he does. Speaking of, are you going on a second date?”

“Probably, we talked about it, but nothing is concrete.” 

Bucky thought that movie night was a great idea, so he invited her over to his apartment to watch movies and so he could try and show off his cooking skills. He made something he knew was easy, spaghetti. 

A small, light knock got his attention. If it was anyone else, they wouldn’t have heard the knock. “Good evening!” He smiled as he opened the door. 

Y/N stood before him with a big smile, “Hi!” They hugged, tightly. As she pulled away, he found his hand on the small of her back, a little too close to her behind. Quickly he removed his hand as she walked into the apartment, “Jeez, nice place. How do you afford it.”

“I have a good job.”

She nodded as she quickly began to examine the food he was making, “Mind if I…”

“Please,” He gestured and watched as she tasted the sauce, then looked over the noodles and meatballs. 

“Come here,” She waved him over and he watched as she grabbed two spices, “A sure-fire way to make sure your sauce tastes great, despite it being from a jar,” She giggled, “Is just a little bit of garlic, not too much, barely a pinch, it goes really well with garlic bread.” He watched her add the pinch of garlic to the sauce and stir it around, tasting it, “And then, adding a few chili flakes, just gives a little zest to it, and spices up the flavor. You also have the sauce on too high heat.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you showed up, otherwise I wouldn’t have learned something new.”

She giggled as she just took over the cooking, “So, what movies did you have in mind?”

“I was gonna let you pick, I have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime video, or whatever it’s called.”

“Disney Plus?” 

Bucky thought for a moment, “I do have that.”

“Then let’s watch the Star Wars movies.” 

Bucky had not seen those yet, despite everyone around him telling him that he needed to. “I haven’t seen those before.” He admitted, knowing what would happen next. 

But to his surprise, “Really!” She seemed excited by that, “I can’t believe I’m taking your Star Wars virginity.” 

Bucky laughed, “I’m glad you’re so excited, everyone else castrates me for not watching them.” 

“I didn’t watch them until I was an adult too, we never saw movies when I was younger, I have a vague memory of seeing Tarzan in theaters with my childhood friend.”

“How old were you when that movie came out?”

“Um, it came out in 1999, so I was like five?” 1994, she was born in 1994, making her 29-years-old. But that also made Bucky, 106-years-old, but also not? He’s like thirty-ish though. It’s fine. 

“When’s your birthday?” 

“Oh um, Y/B/D.” 

“March 10th,” Bucky smiled, and helped her put the food on the plates, “This smells amazing.”

She giggled, “You did most of the work.” They sat at the dining table, across from each other.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” He got up and grabbed a bottle of wine off the counter, “I asked for a romantic wine.” He set the wine glasses down and popped the bottle open. As he popped the bottle with his protested, she noticed the odd material of it. 

She focused more on the fact that he was putting effort into the date, he made good food, got an expensive and romantic wine. He’s obviously more interested in dating rather than sex, not that he’s not interested in sex...she watched the red wine swirl in the glass and reached for it, wanting to taste it. 

“I hope you like it.” 

“I’m definitely more of a white wine lady, but I do appreciate red.” She said while taking a sip of it. 

“I’ve never been much of a wine guy...I’m more of an ugh, a whiskey drinker.” 

She hummed and nodded, eating spaghetti, “I’ve had only a handful of decent whiskey in my day, ha, in my day, I’m almost thirty and I act like I’m elderly.” She chuckled. 

“I know what you mean, I feel so far behind everyone else.” 

Y/N smiled at him, “I’ll catch you up.” 

Bucky raised his eyebrows and smiled back at her, “I would...appreciate that very much.”


	3. Chapter Three

Bucky isn’t sure how to feel about Steve anymore. When he passed away, he expected himself to cry, scream, be completely and utterly distraught. But he felt...fine. Maybe it’s because they knew it was coming, or because he had already grieved for him in the past. Or maybe it’s because he’s an emotionless monster. 

That thought surprised him, looking up at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. His blue eyes were not his own, they weren’t anybody’s. Dead behind the eyes. Bucky forced his body to blink, and when it did it was surprising again. He feels so out of control of his own flesh and bone, that when he is able to make it do anything, it’s shocking. 

The razor in his metal hand still had shaving cream on it, and he realized that a long time had passed. Whipping down his face with a towel and rinsing off the razor, he searched his bare yet messy apartment for his cellphone. He found it on his table and looked at the time. 

10:06 AM

He started shaving almost an hour ago. “Goddamn.” He sighed as he set his phone back down. Everything reminds him of Steve. Jesus, even Brooklyn itself makes him think of Steve. This apartment, given that he inherited most of Steve’s things. Not the title of Captain, but everything else, of course. 

Again, a surprising thought. He doesn’t even want to be Captain, and yet? He feels offended that he wasn’t even offered, not given the chance to turn it down. Something about this thought process, it feels a whole lot like a pity party. 

“Damn, his hair is long.” Christine observed, “Scruffy, that’s what I’d call him.” 

“He’s not a dog, besides, I don’t mind the hair.” Y/N put her phone in her pocket. 

Christine brought her coffee to her lips but kept her eyes on her friend, “You know, he looks really familiar.”

“How so?” 

“I just mean that I feel like I’ve seen him before,” 

“He’s probably come into the restaurant before...or, you know what, we probably saw him with Sam at um, god, what’s his faces baroque.” 

“You think so? Maybe, but I could’ve sworn that Sam brought that little piece of ass, goddamn I still can’t believe how big that’s girl’s butt was.” 

“With a waist that small? It was a little unbelievable. Her name was...started with an S.” 

“No it didn’t her name was a state or something, like Georgia.” 

“You sure?”

“When am I ever wrong.” 

“About as much as me.” 

Christine gasped and chuckled a little, “How actually dare you.” 

Y/N left work, putting her umbrella over her to protect her from the rain, as she walked she called her mother. “Hi Honey!” 

“Hey mom, how was your day.” 

“Oh no, no, no, you’re not gonna get me on a tangent. I joined Instagram.” 

“Oh no,” Y/N said while laughing, “Why?”

“So I can spy on my daughter,”

“Of course, what other reason.” 

“You should follow me,” 

“As soon as I get home.” 

“I saw your story thing, who was the one boy?” 

“One boy?” 

“That video you posted of you having dinner with a boy, who is he?” 

Y/N then quickly remembered putting a boomerang of Bucky up on her Instagram story the night of their at-home spaghetti dinner. “Oh, just a boy I’m seeing. James.” 

“Good name, Jame what?” 

“Barnes, I don’t think he’s on social media though, mom. Facebook maybe.” 

“You say that like I’m gonna look him up.” 

“I know you’re gonna look him up. But like I said, I don’t think he’s on social media.” 

“Are you lying to your mother?”

Y/N laughed, getting into the elevator of her apartment building. “No mom, I’m telling the truth.” Technically, yes, because as far as her mother is concerned this boy’s name is James. “Well, I just got home and I have some work I gotta do. Okay?”

“Well all right dear, I love you. Call tomorrow.”

“Of course mama, I love you too. Bye.”

“Bye-bye.” 

Y/N hung up and unlocked her apartment, as soon as the door opened. Scout screamed at her for dinner, she smiled at the cat and lifted him into her arms. “Hi, baby boy.” Throwing her purse down, “Are you ready for dinner, cause I sure am!” 

Before starting her dinner, she filled the cat’s food dish and changed into more comfortable clothing. As she started dinner, her phone chimed. 

Bucky: How was your day?  
Y/N: not bad, you?  
B: Boring, didn’t do much. Busy?   
Y/N: not really, making pork steaks if you’re interested  
B: You know I am

As she finished up the meal, a knock came on her door. Knowing it was Bucky she smiled and pulled the door open, and there he stood. Champaign in hand and dressed nicely. “Hey you,” She smiled, letting him in. 

“You look good.”

She rolled her eyes as she took the champaign from him, “I’m in sweatpants.” She read the label, “Not bad, for an eleven dollar champaign.” 

“Is it really eleven dollars?” He questioned, watching her put it on the counter, just for him to pick it up and read it. “I got it as a house-well apartment warming gift a few months ago, thought that I might as well drink it with you.” 

“From who?”

“Sam, I think?”

Y/N laughed, “Of course, you know, now that I think about it, I think that’s the same one he got me when I graduated.”

“High school?”

“No?” She glanced up at him, then back to making their plates, “Um, college.” 

“So you went to college for cooking?”

She raised her eyebrows and shook her head, handing him his plate and walking to the dining table, he followed closely behind her. “Nope,” She put her plate down, “Actually, I went for business. My plan was to open my own restaurant, but then ugh,” She licked her lips, obviously a little anxious about the upcoming topic, “The blip happened.” She poured their drinks, “And everything changed.” 

“You weren’t…”

“Nope, were you?”

Bucky just nodded, watching the bubbles in the yellowy drink in front of him. How they frantically raced each other to the top. “It’s weird, you know?”

Something about that comment made her giggle, chewing her green beans, “Tell me about it.” She glanced up at him, “It’s so weird, like, really fucking weird.” Bucky laughed, putting his hair behind his ear, taking a bite of food, “And that’s the thing, is that...the world stopped. Half of us were gone, and...no one, not a single person knew how to deal with that. Not even the Avengers. To everyone on the outside of them, it seemed like they were doing nothing about it.” As she spoke, Bucky felt himself wanting to throw-up. Did the public really feel that way, that the Avengers, that Steve were doing nothing? “Like, I understand they were just as, if not more traumatized than us, but...they’re the Avengers, they’re supposed to protect us, and they didn’t.” 

“I’m sorry,” Was all he could say. 

She let out a nervous giggle, “Please, it’s different now, better? But I mean, we had to lose Tony Stark, fucking Iron Man, that sucks. And it just bodes the question of...one life over many lives, obviously, the many lives. But that doesn’t mean it’s not sad, or scary, or that the world isn’t constantly feeling the repercussions of these types of actions, both on and off of the Avenger’s part.” 

Bucky just thought back to the Socovia Accords, and all the happened around that, because of that. 

“Whatever though, not like it matters anymore, half the Avengers are gone anyway, well the original ones that are.” 

To Bucky it was weird to hear it from her perspective, she’s never met an Avenger, so of course, she would talk about them in this way, like characters. Because to the public, they are characters. But to him, they’re...friends, people, loved-ones. That he misses and respects.

“I don’t know much about them, never paid attention…”

“How? They were everything after the attack in 2012.” 

“I wasn’t living in a place that was their biggest fans, let’s say.”

“Oh, yeah, I heard that quite a few European countries didn’t like them, Asia, too.” The conversation died a little bit after that, but not in a bad or uncomfortable way. Neither of them really had anything else to say, so they just left the silence in the air. 

After they finished dinner, “You wanna watch a movie?” She asked, putting the dishes in the sink, “We can rent a new one if you want.” 

“It’s up to you, dollface.” 

“Dollface?” She giggled, “That’s a first.” 

“Yeah?”

“Most guys I’ve dated are like, I dunno douchebags, and call me more or less derogatory names, last guy I saw just called me ‘female’ or like, ‘woman’.” 

“Ew,”

“Tell me about it,” She sat on the couch next to him, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. They decided on a random Disney film, and by the end of it. Y/N had fallen asleep with her head on Bucky’s shoulder, Scout curled up in her lap. 

Without waking her, Bucky got out from under her, laying her down and grabbing a throw blanket to put over her, as he did this, the cat woke up and jumped away to his cat tower, watching Bucky as he covered her with the blanket. 

“Sleep well, dollface,” He whispered and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. As he left, he locked the door behind him and left to his own place.


	4. Chapter Four

Sam watched Y/N respond to a text, “Whose that?” 

“Bucky.”

Sam smiled, “You two really hit it off, huh?” 

She shrugged slightly and put her phone down on the table, “You could say that he’s so...I dunno, respectful and patient.”

Sam raised his eyebrow, “So you haven’t slept together.” He picked up his drink and put it to his mouth, but didn’t actually drink it. 

Y/N rolled her eyes, “No, we haven’t. How’d you figure out that’s what I was saying?”

“I’ve known you since you were a sophomore, Y/N.”

“No, no, we technically met when I was in eight-grade.”

“We did?”

“Do you really not remember when we first met, Sam!” 

“Were you dating Zach or Riley?”

“Neither, it was in between, at um, god what was her name, um...oh Karen West’s birthday party, the summer after my eight-grade year and your sophomore year. Riley and I had just broken up but were still friends, and he introduced me to you and we talked about that movie that had just come out.” 

“It was a Harry Potter movie, I think?”

“Yes! Yes! Order of Pheonix, maybe?” 

“I dunno, I lost track of those dumb movies, I only saw them cause Riley was so into them,” 

Y/N laughed loudly, “Me too! God, he had to of seen them in theaters so many times, if we took both of us but never together. Lord.” 

Sam chuckled but got lost in thought for a moment, “So um...When did you and Zach start dating?” 

“March of 08.” She answered bluntly, drinking her alcoholic beverage, noticing the waitress approaching them with their food. The waitress served them in silence, “Thank you,” Y/N muttered as she walked away and told them to enjoy. 

Sam watched her mood shift, “I shouldn’t have brought him up.” 

“I honestly don’t care...you’re the only person who knows the whole story, Sam.” She crunched into her salad. ‘

“I know, I know, but still. It’s just that, you tense up when you hear his name...we can barely talk about high school without talking about him.” 

“Well, that’s just how it is, I was in an abusive relationship, that’s just fact and I am still dealing with it do this day. Bucky is...so great. But so was Zach at first. Zach was perfect in the beginning, that’s the problem, is that at first, they are great, wonderful, perfect...but then they start to isolate you, pressure you, ask more of you...then next thing you know, you’re telling yourself that it’s okay he hits you, and cheats on you because he might not do it again, but he’ll always do it again. Everyone who warned me, I ignored! Izzy tried to warn me, tell me about how he was and...I just…” She took in a harsh breath. 

“You don’t have to talk about it, Y/N.” 

“I know, Sam. And I know you know this, but I just...it’s always in the back of my mind.” 

“You lived and learned. I’m just glad I came back when I did,” 

Y/N nodded, “Me too.” 

Bucky stood by the door, looking at his shoes and not thinking about anything in particular. “James!” He was confused at first, looking up at her as she walking quickly towards him, smiling and waving to get his attention, she noticed his confused expression, “I was wondering if you would respond to James. Good to know that you do.”  
“I mean, I can only think of one person who calls me that.”  
“Yeah?”  
“My mother.”  
“Oh? How is she?”  
“Oh, she passed away a long time ago,” The melancholy smile on his face told her that it wasn’t an upsetting topic for him.   
“I’m sorry.”  
“Please, no need.” He waved his metal hand, “Wanna go in?” He offered.   
“Of course! I’m surprised you’re into this.”   
“I’m surprised you’re so up for it.”  
“Don’t underestimate me, when an arcade came to town, I got the highest score in Pacman, so expect me to kick your ass!” 

“Oh really! So you’re challenging me to Pacman?” 

“Yes, I am.”

“Well good, cause I’ve never played it before, so I’ll have beginners’ luck!” 

Y/N gasped as they walked to the front counter to get coins to play with, “You’re kidding! God, you must have been so sheltered as a kid!” 

Bucky raised his eyebrows as he got his wallet out, “You could say that.” 

The young man then approached them glanced at Bucky weirdly, like he recognized him but couldn’t quite place where from. “How many coins?” 

“Um...250 each?” 

The kid nodded, “That’ll be thirty-bucks.” 

Bucky thought to himself about how that’s expensive, while Y/N thought about how that’s cheap. Most arcades cost a fortune, but Bucky didn’t know that. 

They paid and began to walk around the arcade, it was pretty quiet. One older sister with two younger brothers, who were overly hyper and begging to play more Mario Kart. Then a group of three boys stood at the Space Invaders machine, quietly cheering on the boy playing. Then at the Donkey Kong game stood two girls in school uniforms, one looked bored but was saying something while the other played the game rather intensely. 

Y/N smiled as she stopped at Pacman, “Oh my god, this is awesome! You’re gonna love this.” Bucky chuckled and watched as she started the game. He watched her with a fond expression as she began to play and explain the simplistic game to him. Bucky began to let himself get lost in thought as she slowly stopped talking, becoming more intensely focused on the game. 

Bucky noticed her outfit, she wasn’t in her work clothes but smells like the restaurant. Her black dress was a good length, covering her enough and hugged her body nicely. Showing off her nice figure, she stood slightly bent over the game, her ass out and the intense look on her face made Bucky want to kiss her. 

“Hey, are you even listening?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“Sorry, babe, I kinda zoned out.” 

Her body language changed almost completely, becoming stiff and quickly looking away from him, “Um, okay.” Was all she said as she went back to the game, after a second she took in a breath and stopped playing, looking around for a moment, “Is there a candy machine in here do you think?”

“Probably, why?” 

She didn’t say anything, shrugging and turning her attention to the game. 

“Y/N are you okay?”

“Nothing, nothing, I’m just...tired. I had a long day at work.”

“You sure?”

“Yup.” 

The night was awkward after that, the two didn’t really talk and ended the night much earlier than either of them planned. 

“I’ll catch you a cab.” Bucky smiled at her. 

“No, no, I’d rather walk.”

He looked at her a little surprised, “Are you sure?” 

She hummed a yes, and pulled out her phone. 

Bucky lingered for a moment, “Hey, do you want me to walk you home? I would be glad to, Y/N…”

She thought to herself, her eyes darting around, “Okay, that’s okay.” They started to walk in the direction of her apartment. “Can I ask why you don’t want to ride in a cab?” Bucky asked after a while. 

Y/N shrugged, “Just...make me nervous.”

“And walking doesn’t?” 

“I can run out here, I’m trapped in there.”

Bucky kind of understands the logic. “Okay, I get that...did I say something to upset you, earlier?”

“Kinda, it’s not your fault. I just, I don’t like being called babe.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“No, no. I should have said something, I should have.” She waved her hand, “I’m just bad at...this.” She squinted her eyes and gestured broadly, “I was in a shitty relationship for a long time, and then I just slept around for a while and when Sam set me up with you, I thought it was gonna be another one night stand, but you...are different. You didn’t give me the opportunity to take you home for a good old fashioned fuck, you wanted a date, and to date. And I love that, and I’m happy that we are doing this but it’s still...scary.” 

Bucky nodded, listening closely, “I’m sorry you were in a shitty relationship.” He then chuckled, “You know, we’re not so different. For a long time, I just slept around too. Then I went through some shit,” He almost gestured at his arm, “And now all I want is a relationship, you know, someone.”

“Your own person,” She laughed, “If that makes sense.” 

“It does, it does.” He looked at her for a moment, “Wanna hold hands?”

To his surprise, she started laughing, “Of course, silly.” She grabbed his metal hand, feeling the texture of it in her hand. “You asked like we’re in grade school, it was cute.” She giggled, looking at their hands. 

Bucky blushed, “I guess. I just didn’t know if you were comfortable with it or not.” Y/N fell quiet, but was smiling and looking at the ground, “What?” 

“Thank you, for asking. I really appreciate it.”

Bucky and Y/N smiled at each other for a moment, before she stopped them, “I’m gonna kiss you now.” She whispered before he could respond her lips were on his, and they stood on the sidewalk, kissing very passionately. 

When her tongue entered his mouth, Bucky was quickly reminded by the fact he hadn’t kissed someone in a very long time, and that she was good at it. As their tounges danced, his hands found her waist, while her hands found his neck. After a while though, they had to part to catch their breath. 

As soon as she did, she started to giggle, “Damn,” She muttered, looking at his blue eyes. Their faces so close they could feel each other’s breathes on their faces, “You’re eyes are so fucking blue.”

He cocked a smile, “Thanks?” 

Bucky walked Y/N home, they had a short goodnight hug and kiss, before parting ways. As he sat in the back of the cab, he thought more and more about the kiss, about his passion, the way she makes him feel. Togeather, they feel so good, so right. 

Yeah, they feel right.


End file.
